Jordan Vogt-Roberts is currently neck deep in making a Metal Gear Solid movie happen, but it turns out he has a lot of ideas about how to turn other video games into movies too. After recently revealing he had a pitch for a Metroid film, that will almost certainly never happen, he's now talking about an even more popular Nintendo property, The Legend of Zelda. He thinks he knows what the property needs to do to be successful on the big screen. His idea? Embrace the weirdness of the franchise. According to Vogt-Roberts...
The thing about Zelda is Zelda is not Lord of the Rings, right? You cannot forget how quirky and bizarre Zelda is. I think you need to find a way to actually fuse the traditional Zelda and the very new Zelda. I think you have to find a way to very intensely fuse the pure just sort of fantasy of The Ocarina of Time and The Link to the Past, but then I think you need to find a way to incorporate the newer pseudo-tech stuff -- you know, the lasers and Tron lines that happen in the newer games, but in a way that's not overwhelming.
At its core, it's easy to see why somebody might try to do a take on The Legend of Zelda that looks like The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. It follows a hero in a fantasy world who, in most versions, must obtain a magic sword in order to save a princess from an evil villain. However, while the core of each game may have many of these components, each iteration has brought something new to the series and some of those elements have taken cues from more futuristic elements. The most recent game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has, as Jordan Vogt-Roberts said during IGN's SDCC event, aspects that while not technically technological are certainly inspired by the concept. This includes massive Mech-like creatures and the "Tron lines" he mentions.
This idea would certainly make a Legend of Zelda movie a unique thing, but that's not the only thing Jordan Vogt-Roberts would do to make a Zelda movie different. He says he would also embrace one key element of the games that has been consistent throughout. Link would not speak.
I actually fully think Link should not speak the entire film. I would do a film where he's a silent protagonist.
It seems Jordan Vogt-Roberts just likes the idea of making a movie where the hero doesn't say a word, as his idea for a Metroid movie had a similar premise.
Video game movies have improved in recent years, but games are still looking for the film project that completely legitimizes them. If Jordan Vogt-Roberts is able to make his forthcoming Metal Gear Solid movie that film, perhaps a Legend of Zelda movie isn't too far behind.
